March 28th, 2016

Sadly, Dear Listener, our Brig-a-thon must come to a close. The Anime Express rolls into the station as we go full circle and take a look at The Wind Rises. The Wind Rises marks the end of an era as it is Hayao Miyazaki's final film at Studio Ghibli. A studio that launched thanks to the success of his 1984 work, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - which we discussed to kick off this marathon.

Now, you may be asking yourself, "How do I get these idiots to talk specifically about the movies that I want them to talk about?" And, that my friend, is a very good question. All you need to do, is head over to Patreon and become a supporter. Now, we are sold out of our $15 a month package, but you could still do the $10 a month package which would allow you to pick a movie for us to watch at some point within the year.

Sorry for the spiel, now back to business. This week on the show, the table is nearly empty as Dustin and Caleb are the only two who survived to the final week of Anime. Our fearless hosts do play a game this week, as they talk about their favorite dream sequences in film. They both show a breadth of knowledge as they cite films from multiple decades. We then move into analysis. Caleb takes an auteur approach, discussing how Miyazaki is reflected in the film's main character and how it has a lot to say about the state of current Anime trends. Caleb postures that Miyazaki is putting current Anime trends on blast for what they've become. Dustin then takes the reigns and discusses The Wind Rises as a left-leaning work that criticizes militarization and war.

Dear Listener, we hope you've enjoyed this Patron-presented marathon. It has certainly challenged and stretched our hosts as they've looked at this GoodTrash neglected genre. But now, the controls are in your hand. Have you checked your engines? Is the propeller ready? Because I think its time to hit play.

The Wind Rises Time Stamps

00:45 - Welcome and Intros

02:54 - Synopsis and Thumbs Up/Down Review

07:00 - The Game: Favorite Dream Sequences

13:49 - Analysis

26:05 - Shelf or Trash/Else or Instead

30:45 - Social Media and Wrap Up

31:51 - Introduction of the Randomizer AB1700/Announce next week's movie.

March 21st, 2016

The Month of Brig keeps rolling here at the GenreCast as we take a look back at 1995's influential anime, Ghost in the Shell. That's right, because he is a Patron and pledged the right amount, Brigham Cole has sentenced us to a month of Anime. Something never explicitly mentioned on air was the reasoning behind our selections. We wanted to embrace influential or highly regarded Anime from each decade to examine the growth and evolution of the beloved style of filmmaking. We started with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) since it is the seed for what would become Studio Ghibli. Alex then selected Summer Wars (2009) because of its thematically rich plot and reputation. We then chose Ghost in the Shell (1995) because of its influence on Hollywood cinema.

This week, we kick things off with our game and talk about our favorite Action Movie Scores. This movie has a fantastic score that drives the action, so we thought we'd celebrate by highlighting some of our other faves. Do you have any scores you think we overlooked? Let us know in the comments below! We then take Ghost in the Shell to the operating table and try to uncover what's really going on. Alex brings up the age old question, SUB vs DUB! That's right, she discusses a bit of adaptation theory involving subtitles and how a films original message or intent can sometimes be misinterpreted through translation. Caleb then takes over with a discussion of sentience and ethics and how Ghost in the Shell discusses that philosophy. Dalton then pans the film over its ridiculous use of the male gaze which completely kills any goodwill that the movie may earn. He essentially states the any potentially good idea about gender or sexuality is quickly tripped up by the camera's incessant oogling of the female form. Dustin then piggybacks off of Caleb's analysis to discuss sentience and humanity and what makes a person a person. And while the movie didn't get generally favorable reviews from the table, it jumpstarts great discussion across the board.

Well, there you have it dear listener. We're three-quarters of our way through this anime journey, and we look to end things on a high note. If you have any thoughts on our analysis and what we had to say; if you want to disagree with us; if you want to call Dalton a doodoo head; then please, leave us a comment below! Now, put activate your invisibility gear and click that play button.

March 19th, 2016

Dustin gets back on the Skype to take to writer/director/actress Crystal Scott about her new project Girl Clown. She is in the process of expanding her earlier short of the same name into a feature and you can support the Kickstarter by clicking the link below.

March 14th, 2016

Hello dear listener! The Brig-A-Thon rolls on this week as we take on Summer Wars. That's right, the anime marathon keeps on keepin' on as Alex, Caleb, and Dustin sit around and discuss the movie with generally positive feelings. If you're interested in picking a marathon for the GoodTrash GenreCast then head over to Patreon for more information.

This week, after giving our initial reviews, we discuss Saturday Morning Cartoon Mashups that we would love to see. That's right, we'd be just as excited for an X-Men '92/TMNT crossover as you would be. Caleb cranks it to 11 for his choices and a great deal of fun is had by all.

Finally, we move into the portion of the show that you all came for; we get down to business and break open Summer Wars to find out what's going on behind the firewall of Oz. Alex kicks things off as she uses her education to great affect, talking e-governance and government policy and how Summer Wars takes a look at all of that. Caleb takes the reigns next to talk about Eastern Religion and the Internet. He discusses how the internet has taken philosophies from Shinto and Buddhism and taken them world wide, for the better. Dustin then takes things home to talk about the influence of Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story) on Summer Wars; this leads him to discuss the integration of art house style on anime.

So, there you have it dear listener, the connection is strong, and we're getting connected. So why don't you find the network in your wifi list and join us on this interweb adventure.

March 7th, 2016

Hello everybody, March is upon us and that means it is a very special time here at the GoodTrash Media Network because we get to honor our first ever Patreon rewarded marathon of shows. That's right, if you give us the right amount of money, you can get choose a marathon for us to program, watch, and talk about. This is your best chance of telling us what to do and when to do it. The very fist Patron who has stepping up to the challenge is Mr. Brigham Cole. Brigham has always been a big supporter of the show, and he took that a step further by pledging. In doing so, he pledged at a level which awarded him with what we're calling The Brigha-Thon! All through March, thanks to Brigham, we are going to be looking at Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind which would put a director by the name of Hayao Miyazaki on the map and lead to the founding of one of the most influential animation studios on the planet, Studio Ghibli.

To kick off this marathon, we talk about our favorite animated heroines. For the first time ever, Alex could hardly be contained and nearly spent the entire episode listing characters. I'm only half joking. From there, Dustin leads a round table discussion which addresses many of the topics within the films, including a look at the film's ecological, political, cultural, and feminist messages.

So, as the end draws nigh, prepare yourself for battle, or possibly protest, and go ahead and click that little play button for us.